The Other Doctor
by The Fluffy Muffin Queen
Summary: When she heard that noise Rose thought that he had come back for her. She thought he was here, in her universe. If so, why isn't he hugging her yet? Rose/Ten
1. The Meeting

A/N: Hoo boy, it's been a while since I've written a fanfiction. Still, I couldn't get this idea out of my head, and I was honestly shocked that nobody had done this before. Seriously, why has nobody thought of this? Now that I think of this, I almost wish they had done this rather than the meta-crisis Doctor. Ah well, here we go!

**Disclaimer: **I, in no way, shape, or form, own Doctor Who. I'm just a Whooligan.

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Rose ran her tongue over her teeth, eyes narrowed as she considered the paperwork in front of her. There was a problem-a big problem. No, she reminded herself. 'A problem' wasn't enough to cover this one. This was a _very _big problem.

There was an entire alien race that just disappeared. It was as if they had never existed or if they had simply evaporated into the air. But that was, obviously, impossible. Torchwood had been attempting to do just that should any of their diplomats be in trouble with the new aliens who had noticed Earth.

Groaning she leaned back, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Maybe it was time for a vacation. A very _long _vacation. Hawaii sounded nice. Or India. Maybe Mexico. '_Oh no, not Mexico_,' she thought, standing. The last aliens she had had to deal with had been behind a fair amount of, what they felt were, practical jokes. These jokes included a carving that looked like an Incan priest in a rocket, another, the Mayan calendar. If Rose had to be reminded of them she might scream.

The sound, at first, seemed like a nuisance. Like a fly Rose couldn't shoo away. Then she thought she was imagining things-it was impossible for _that _noise to be echoing down the corridors of Torchwood. Nah, that was completely and utterly impossible. However as it got louder Rose couldn't help the wide smile that spread across her face.

He was here! He was back!

Giving a tiny shriek Rose shot out of her office, darting past co-workers as she ran as quickly as she could towards the noise. Barely noticing it when she hit the street, Rose paused only for a second to reorient herself before following the noise. Slowly, painfully slowly, the TARDIS faded into existence, solidifying before Rose's eyes. For a moment she thought she was going to cry and to stem the tears she pressed a hand to her mouth.

Suddenly the door swung open and the doctor-_her _doctor slid forward, holding onto the side of the door and looking straight up into the sky. "_Earth_," he said, face split in two by his grin. "London, Earth. Year: 2007. Oh, this is _brilliant_." Then he seemed to notice her.

Rose had fantasized about this moment more times than she could count. She had expected him to look shocked, then excited. He'd sweep her up in his arms and hug her and kiss her and she would hug and kiss him back. They would laugh and cry and he would tell her the rest of his unfinished sentence from the worst day of her life. They'd be happy, damn it.

She didn't expect him to look confused, then awkward, scratching the back of his head as he inched farther out of the TARDIS, slipping the door shut. "Um… Hullo," he said, cracking a smile with a jerk of his head. "Can I help you?"

"_Doctor_," Rose said, all the breath leaving her as if she was punched in the sternum. "It's me, _Rose_. Don't-You remember me, yeah?"

The Doctor looked confused for a moment, shuffling in a distinctly _un_Doctor-y way. "Weeell… no, not really. 'Rose', was it? Yeah… no, can't say I've ever met you. Do we know each-omph."

With an angry sob she threw herself at him, wrapping him in a rib crushing hug. "Don't say that," she said, lips trembling. Pulling away Rose swatted at his arm, obviously hurt beyond words. "Don't _say_ that! Don't joke about it! Why'd you think that was funny?"

"I'm not-I'm not joking about _anything_," he protested, raising his hands. "My life is, ah, _complicated_ so maybe I'll meet you later. Something to look forward to, yeah?"

With something akin to a snarl Rose scowled, shaking her head. "I met you when you were bald and wore black. There's no way that's true." They stood there, considering each other for a time until Rose took a step back, hugging herself. "You… didn't come from the other universe, did you? You still haven't come for me."

The Doctor's brow furrowed, lips beginning to from his second favorite word: 'What?' "I dunno what you're talking about. I can tell you, Ms. Rose, is that travel between universes is impossible. It'll destroy the universe. Though, mind you, it was once possible. You could pop into a parallel universe, have a cuppa-"

"-Tea," Rose finished for him, face carefully neutral. "You could pop in for a cup of tea. I know. You told me."

He huffed through his nose, leaning against the TARDIS, an eyebrow raised. "I did, did I? Well then, you can tell me what my ship is called."

"She's the TARDIS, and she's broken so that she can only be a police box. Somethin' to do with the chameleon circuit. You never did give a good explanation for that one."

"Ok… well then, what is my home planet-"

"Gallifrey," Rose interrupted, a small smug smile curling on her face. "You're a Time-Lord. You're the last of your kind."

"Ah-_ha_!" the Doctor crowed. "I'm _not_ the last of my kind! The Master is still alive." He sniffed heartily, putting his hands in his pockets. "Which is why I'm _here_. Need to help you apes out, right?"

He made it sound like a joke, like that word that he had often spat out hatefully was something funny. Giving a rather loud curse word Rose fully stepped back, lips set in a cross line as she considered the Doctor. No, not _the _Doctor-not _her _Doctor. _A _Doctor.

"Never mind," she said, voice a little shaky. "Just forget it, please. Sorry I interrupted your day." Twirling on the balls of her feet, Rose began to leave, breathing heavily to bite back the tears. He isn't _her _Doctor, she thought desperately. Not _her _Doctor, not really. He'd never give her those soul aching smiles like he used to. Not grab her hand and drag her out of one danger and into another trilling danger. Never lean in to whisper something and send that wonderful shiver down her spine.

It wasn't until the Doctor, the very _not _her Doctor Doctor, calls out and startles her into turning around that Rose realizes she's crying. "Would you, ah," he says, stammering. The Doctor never stammered. "Would you like to help me out? Rose, was it? If you do I can take you on a trip." He very sternly holds up a single finger. "Just one trip though. Can't promise more than that." And although she knows she shouldn't agree, although she knows this could easily end in tears, more tears than it has already ended in, and will definitely end with her comparing _this _Doctor to _her _Doctor, she gives a shaky grin.

"Yeah," Rose manages past the hands she has once again pressed against her lips in a vain attempt to keep either sobs or laughter, a frown or a grin in check. "Yeah, that'd be awesome."

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A/N: I may or may not turn this into a small quick story of snippits between this universe's Doctor and Rose. Dunno. We'll just have to wait and see.


	2. The Master

A/N: Yeah, you guys should totally blame the plot bunnies for not letting me let this just stay as it was. –sigh- Well, looks like I'm in for a long drabble-y story that I have no idea on how it's gonna end. Have fun (and look what you made me do! Bad reviewers, bad! Making me want to continue a story… Pfft. Pi_sha_). Warning, though. The chapters won't be long. As I said, drabble-y ideas will be making up the story. Terribly sorry if you wanted more.

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own.

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It had been ten months, twenty-six days, five hours, and thirty-two minutes since the Doctor had made the mistake of not punching the Master in the face.

Well, that probably wasn't fair, Rose thought idly, running a rag over spilt coffee in her horridly fetish-y maid's dress. The Doctor wasn't completely at fault. She also should've punched the Master in the face. Too bad he had his little floaty balls of doom and metal to protect him.

A shiver worked its way along Rose's spine as the Master trailed his fingers across her neck, smiling down at her like she was some beloved pet who was acting particularly adorable. She leaned back, careful not to look him in the eye, a trembling working its way through her body. "Now then," the Master cooed, finally letting his fingers fall away from her skin. "No need to act like a scared little rabbit, is there, little girl?" That was his favorite nick-name for her, little girl. It made Rose ill to think that he and the Doctor had once been friends.

The Doctor. She could feel his eyes on her, watching, pitying. He was blaming himself, she knew it. At night she would make her way to his little tent, sitting next to the dog bowl to speak to him in hushed whispers. She'd let him into her head to look at memories of her childhood, to twirl with her through a gymnastics tournament, watching her meet Jonny Stone for the first time. He, in turn, let her see worlds the other Doctor, _her _Doctor, had never taken her to. Perhaps they didn't exist anymore in her world.

He still hadn't ever been to Barcelona.

Sometimes, however, they'd sit there, telling each other stories. When the Master had been more brutal to one or the other, the person who had been left alone would comfort the other. The Doctor, even when he looked so old, seemed to know the best pressure points to rub to make Rose feel like she could melt against the wall, tears slipping down her cheeks as he whispered Gallifreyan to her. Rose could do no more than sing her favorite songs, quickly learning that the Doctor had grown attached to 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'.

"Martha will help us," the Doctor had whispered to her one day, pressing his wrinkled forehead against hers, eyes fluttering in his body's attempt to force him to sleep, if only to escape the hell they had found themselves in. They had gotten into this too soon, having only known each other for half a week before the Master took over.

Rose simply nodded her head as best she could, her hand squeezing his. Martha, the young doctor who had escaped England. Rose still managed to get messages from the Doctor to her, going through a complicated chain of people she supposed she could trust. As she was still alive and not eviscerated in some corner for the other maids to clean up, she guessed they weren't working for the Master.

Hands gripped the sides of her face and Rose couldn't help the startled scream that escaped from her lips. The Master's face was too close, his stale breath washing over her face. "_Listen_ to me when I'm _talking_," he roared, spittle flying from his mouth.

Rose's trembling had begun again, having died down during her thoughts drifting. He stilled, looking over her head at something Rose couldn't guess at. Not the Doctor, but out the window. A grin spread across his face and he dropped her, sauntering off to a tune found only in his head. A maid or two took half a step forward, no doubt wanting to help Rose to her feet, but they, like everyone else in the room, stayed where they were, focusing on their appointed tasks.

Suddenly the Master began to whistle. It took a moment for Rose to realize it was 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'. Slowly she looked up, eyes resting on the Doctor for a moment before swerving over to the Master, who paused long enough to grin at her and continue dancing.

Oh dear Lord, he knew. He knew and he was waiting for the most opportune time to crush her so that he could crush the Doctor's last grasp on humanity, sever the link between him and Martha.

Sitting up straighter, Rose turned to the spilled coffee that was beginning to dry and stain the floor. '_If he thinks I'm going to go down so easily,_' she thought, viciously scrubbing away at the mess '_then over throwing him will be easier than I thought._'

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A/N: Warned ya it'd be short.


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